Vancouver Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi is excited about the New York Red Bulls signing superstar soccer player Thierry Henry.
He may not relish the idea of the French forward scoring on his team, but he does like the fact that players like Henry and the Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham fill seats.
Henry, a former player for Arsenal and Barcelona, signed a multi-year contract with New York Wednesday afternoon, and is expected to debut in the Big Apple on July 22.
"It's very good," said Lenarduzzi, pointing out that when Beckham entered the MLS with Los Angeles, ticket sales spiked.
"We're at 13,000 tickets plus sold right now, and we have a cap of 16,500. Our hope is that this announcement and other announcements will get us to that 16,500 mark fairly quickly."
Lenarduzzi said it's great to bring in players from foreign markets, but it's also important to make sure the league is continuing to develop its domestic players.
He credits the MLS for the United States' recent relative success at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He believes the American squad almost advanced to the quarter final because U.S. players are now able to compete at a high level at home.
Lenarduzzi hopes Canadian players will be the next to develop into world class soccer stars, but also thinks the Whitecaps have the ability to attract some star power of their own, thanks to the 2010 Olympics.
"The visuals that went out to the rest of the world, I think helps our recruiting process," Lenarduzzi said.
"A lot more people are aware of Vancouver as a result of the Winter Olympics that we just hosted and we've actually put together a recruitment tape of Vancouver and what it's all about."
Enticing players to come to Vancouver will not be problem for the Whitecaps, added Lenarduzzi. The question the team needs to answer is whether or not they wish to have a face on their franchise when they enter the MLS in 2011.
